Silver Crusade
by Stratusfear
Summary: With Aizen gone, unpleasant things from Momo's past have caught up with her. An old flame from before her death appears and offers her the power of a goddess with uncertain costs , and the Hinamori Clan of the Ivory Claws is out to kill her a second time.
1. A Bad Moon Risen

**Chapter 1**

**A Bad Moon Risen**

Disclaimer: I am not the creator of ANY of the copyrighted material that will appear in this monster Cross Over fan fiction. So please don't sue me.

Author's Note: This is a huge gigantic Cross Over fic, which will include Yu Yu Hakusho, World of Darkness, Bleach, and Ayashi No Ceres.

Kazushige Kuwabara, proud father of Kazuma Kuwabara, was walking home alone, as he often did. Or, he often had since his wife, Shika, had died. He lowered his shades and stared up into the night sky, realizing at that moment that it was the new moon. He reflected that he must be overworked if he was neglecting to keep track of the moon phases. Out of nowhere, he saw there were clouds gathering overhead, blotting out the stars. Even if the moon had been visible, it wouldn't be now. Of a sudden, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. Something about the whole scene was wrong. And wrong for him meant the supernatural had something to do with it.

He felt something behind him, or rather someone. Someone who pulled the entire night into himself like a vortex, a person of such intense stillness you couldn't help but be drawn to him. He spun around, his guard up in the off chance it wasn't who he thought it was going to be. Expect the unexpected. Story of his life, of all their lives, actually.

"Inuki-kun." He said, his voice betraying some nervousness, though he tried to keep his tone light and utterly genial. "Or should I say Bone Shadow Daimyo."

"I'm not the Daimyo of our tribe anymore. But, then, I suppose no rumor that travels through my information network is ever wrong, is it?" Inuki said lightly.

"Then you've heard. They're being bitter about it. The tribe, I mean. They're refusing to elect another Daimyo. The other tribes aren't helping, in fact they're egging them on. The Blood Talons are saying we shouldn't surrender a position that rightly belongs to you because, after all, you're not dead, and the Storm Lords are grumbling it would be a humiliating display of weakness. Like they're ones to talk. They're in the same position we are. Always have been." Kazushige's agitation was plain in his voice, something that was unusual for him.

"Well, that's not _technically_ true, is it? We Bone Shadows were the ones who came up with that little method for avoiding Spirit World's and the Soul Society's scrutiny and essentially giving the Uratha of Japan the ability to die twice. As such, it's no surprise the other tribes are complaining about it now that it's causing….something of a problem for us. Oh, wait, no, I guess that doesn't make sense then, does it? Look on the bright side, though, this shows how united we are." Inuki's tone was still entirely amenable. The man spoke to anyone and everyone, even total strangers, as if they were close friends or bosom companions. It was the eeriest thing Kazushige had ever encountered, and he'd seen some pretty wigged out stuff in his time.

"Yeah, united in mutual pain, and a steadily worsening situation. Wait…Why are you here? Oh, no…don't tell me…." Kazushige's face fell. The normally impassive and even cheerful Inuki's face also changed as he donned an expression that might have been called sadness had it been so easy to define.

"Exactly. My returning to this place can mean only one thing." Abruptly the wind picked up and Inuki disappeared into thin air. Then thunder rumbled overhead and the rain started to fall. Kazushige stared numbly at the place where the other man had stood, then after a few moments of silent reverie he moved on, but there was a heaviness to his tread that hadn't been there before. Then he heard it. A voice on the wind, whispering like distant thunder in the First Tongue.

_The land is in drought, and falls to rot. A storm, there must be a storm. My children will make it so. All look to the Darkening Sky, for your hope and your despair shall fall from those clouds._


	2. The Skin World

**Chapter 2**

**The Skin World**

Lieutenant Hinamori was in the living world. Officially, she had been sent there to keep an eye on Hollow activity to see if it had changed since the shift in power in Hueco Mundo. But Momo knew better. After the way she'd acted when put through to the mortal world to talk to Hitsugaya, asking him to save Captain Aizen, she knew the Captain General didn't trust her loyalties. It wasn't just him, either; people from the other Squads looked askance at her when they passed her in the hallways and streets of the Seireitei. Even Izuru and Hisagi could barely look her in the eyes anymore. It made her feel dirty, like she was covered in feces. Like she had already betrayed them and gone over to Aizen. The other members of Squad 5 were better about it; they at least showed some understanding for her initial inability to accept Aizen's betrayal. But as time wore on, and Momo's sullen, aggrieved silence did not abate, it came to be seen as suspicious. And then the whispers started. She'd hear them in passing, at restaurants, or in the training rooms, or in the barracks. They varied in mindset from pity to outright hostility, but Momo thought one particular conversation she overheard summed up Seireitei's current attitude toward her. She had been about to head to one of the various training areas for Kido when she realized two young Shinigami were already there and engaged in a tense whispered conversation. She stopped just before she reached the door when she heard one of them say her name.

"Hinamori? What about her?" Asked one, a girl who sounded slightly incredulous.

"I don't know why they let her walk around free like that. It scares me." Said the other tensely, clearly a boy.

"What do you mean? Izuru Kira and Shuuhei Hisagi were both Lieutenants under Captains that defected and I don't hear you saying _they_ should be locked up." The girl said, disbelief clear in her voice.

"Yeah, but you don't see them wandering around like a sad little puppy that's lost its master, like Hinamori does. Shuuhei's overworked now that Tosen's gone, sure, and that makes him sullen, and Izuru feels bad for the direct part he played in Aizen's plan to get the Hogyoku. But Hinamori? She's just lost without Aizen to follow around everywhere. And I say it's only a matter of time before she follows him to Hueco Mundo. They should lock her up and throw away the key, just to be on the safe side." The contempt in his voice made Momo's blood boil, but it also made her flinch somewhere deep inside. How many times in her life had someone who was supposed to be close to her spoken either of her or to her as if she were not just worthless, but disgusting, and because of circumstances that were beyond her control?

"Not so loud! Someone might hear you! She's still a Lieutenant, you know, albeit a defunct one." The girl shushed him, sounding scandalized.

"Yeah, _really_ defunct. I heard from some members from Squad 5 that she's really let herself go. She used to be all competent and devoted and stuff, but now? She barely does _anything_. Captain Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Matsumoto have to take care of what's left of Squad 5 for her, cause all she does these days is wander around in a daze." The boy's voice dripped with vehemence.

"That's right, I heard Squad 5 is pretty much done for. Most would rather just transfer into other Squads than take a bet on some new Captain. Even Squad 9 and Squad 3 aren't taking it nearly as bad as they are." The girl said.

"That's because Squad 9 and Squad 3 have Lieutenants that actually care about what happens to the Squad now that the Captains turned traitor. Hinamori doesn't. All she cares about is her precious Captain Aizen. Aren't Lieutenants supposed to go through psychological testing before they attain their positions? How did she ever get her position in the first place? Squad 4 must have really dropped the ball when they were reviewing her. She doesn't have what it takes to be Lieutenant. She's useless unless her Captain's right there always telling her what to do." The boy fumed.

"Well…come to think of it, I've heard talk among some of the Shinigami Women's Association, especially those from Squad 5. Some of them think Hinamori had a very…_special_ relationship with her Captain, if you know what I mean." The girl said.

"So _that's_ it! She slept her way into the Courtguard Squads! Man, I swear, that is so wrong! To think there are people who have to bust their asses just to get some measly position under one of the Seated Officers, and then she can just go to bed with a Captain and get made Lieutenant!" The boy snarled, banging a fist against the wall.

"Hey, come on now, don't say that! Hinamori isn't the only female Lieutenant I've heard rumors like that about. I have it on good authority that Captain Kyouraku sleeps with Lieutenant Nanao, and Lieutenant Nemu with her Captain, although that kinda freaks me out since she's like his daughter almost. Hinamori's not the only one who's ever done it." The girl scolded her companion defensively.

"Well, yeah, but did either of those relationships start _before_ either of them was even Lieutenant?" The boy demanded.

"Um…Not that I know of." The girl said uncertainly.

"There! You see? I heard from a member of Squad 3 that Hinamori had been following Captain Aizen around all doe-eyed even before she was in the Courtguard Squads, and that she was personally requested to join Squad 5 by Aizen himself. There _had_ to have been something going on between those two." The boy said.

"Well, yeah, but Lieutenant Abarai and Lieutenant Kira were both requested by Aizen in the same way, so you can't really blame Hinamori. Aizen had plans to use the three of them right from the start." The girl pointed out.

"True, but neither Lieutenant Kira nor Lieutenant Abarai ended up almost getting killed by Aizen's own hand, like Hinamori did. Plus I heard from Squad 3 that Ichimaru was told to lure Hinamori there just so Aizen could kill her. Wonder why Hinamori got selected for such a harsh fate. Maybe she was cheating on him." The boy chuckled to himself. At that point, Momo decided she couldn't listen to any more of this. She turned away and walked quickly down the corridor, trying unsuccessfully to hold back the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. She hated the familiarity of this situation. It was like when she was alive, a motherless illegitimate child on her father's estate, with a resentful legitimate wife and jealous legitimate half-brothers and half-sisters to contend with. All she had been able to do back then was hide away and cry all by herself. Now, in her quarters in the Seireitei, Momo's past repeated itself as she cried into her pillow with no one to comfort her. Momo had entered into the Shinigami Academy with the hope of leaving that past far behind, of becoming confident, powerful, and admired. And for a while, under Captain Aizen's tutelage, it seemed like she had managed to do it. But now, with him gone, and her position in the Courtguard Squads coming into question, it seemed more and more like she was sliding back into that old life she had tried so hard to escape.

Ironically enough, it was only a day later that she had been summoned before the Captain General and sent on her "special mission" into the living world, the place that carried so many painful memories for her. Not only that, she was sent far away from Karakura, to another part of Tokyo. As far away from the conflict between Soul Society and the Arrancar as they could get her, she imagined. That way she'd be under less of a temptation to switch sides. She had been given a hotel room to live in, and some clothes that would allow her to blend into human society. Beyond that, her orders were a glorified version of "Walk around and look at Hollows." She was not to engage the Hollows in combat, just observe their behavior. Apparently there were worries that Aizen's rise to power in Hueco Mundo would result in a mass exodus of those Hollows who were not in his favor or who had not been offered the power of an Arrancar. These dissidents might go to the mortal world to escape Aizen's rule, in which case human fatalities as a result of attacks by Hollows were sure to be on the rise. Momo's job was to either confirm or deny this theory. It was a job more suited to a member of Squad 12, the Squad that had traditionally been in charge of scientific research of Hollows and their behaviors. Yet more evidence that Momo had been sent on this mission purely to get rid of her. So, as a sort of revenge, Momo goofed off as much as possible. It wasn't like she flat out didn't follow her orders, but then again, if she wasn't supposed to engage, she couldn't get very close to the Hollows, now could she? And if she couldn't get close, then how was she supposed to find them in the first place? And so Momo wandered around Tokyo City aimlessly, seeing the sights, observing the living and generally just trying not to think about anything having to do with Seireitei or anything she'd been through lately.

After an indeterminate amount of time wandering around aimlessly, Momo suddenly found herself in front of a large, ritzy-looking hotel. Maybe one of those Five Star Hotels frequented by rich people or couples looking for an expensive romantic interlude. She heard the hotels were complete with restaurants that served exotic delicacies and other luxuries.

"Were you thinking of going in?" A silky smooth voice asked from right behind her. She gasped, jumping in surprise, and whipped around, almost falling on her butt in the process. She stumbled precariously backward, but the man in front of her took hold of her arm and held her steady. He let go almost immediately afterwards, his arm going to rest at his side. She got a better look at him then. He was like night given over to flesh. He had jet black hair that went down to the middle of his back and was slicked back, and a long, elegant face. His skin was delicately tan, just shy of being pale. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of midnight blue, with a scar tracing over his right eye. He wore a pitch black suit and silver tie that accentuated his slender, stream-lined build, and held himself with a certain grace. It wouldn't have surprised her if he had an impressive musculature under that suit. She couldn't guess at his age. It looked to be somewhere between his mid-twenties or early thirties, but he looked healthy enough to be even younger.

"Um…I…What?" She asked stupidly, blinking her wide brown eyes.

"Did you want to go inside?" He asked gently, gracing her with a small, almost sad smile.

"Oh, no, no, no. I was just, um, looking. I could never afford to go to a place like that. I'm sorry, I guess I must have been in your way." She said quickly, stepping aside to let him through. He didn't budge, just kept looking at her.

"If you can't afford it, then _I_ will pay your way. Don't worry, I don't have any mischief in mind, despite how I may appear to you. I have too much money, and therefore I like spending it on people who don't, even if I don't know them." He said smoothly, offering her his arm. "Shall we then?"

It took Momo a moment to register this out-of-the-blue offer. Then she looked him over for good measure. The guy did, just as he'd said himself, look more than a little fishy. His clothing and mannerisms all indicated he was extremely cultured and probably wealthy as well. The scar over his right eye also brought in the possibility that he'd made that money through organized crime. If she went into that hotel with him, who knew what kind of trouble might be in store for her. And besides…

_Oh, what the hell. It's not like I'm going to be getting offers like this every day. Besides, I need something to take my mind off things._

"Um…If you're sure it's alright." She said, taking his arm. Momo didn't like admitting this to herself, but this guy was her type, with his gentle but somehow authoritative demeanor and his subtle smiles. Not that she had any intention of doing anything with him, but still. She couldn't help but be reminded of…

_No, stop. Don't think about Captain Aizen. It'll only make you sad. You're doing this to take your mind off things, remember?_

He led her inside and asked an attendant to lead them to the hotel's restaurant, where they were seated at a table and given menus to peruse. Momo had never even heard of most of what the menu offered.

"The blueberry tart here is to die for. And they have over forty kinds of tea." Her companion said, as if sensing how swamped she was by all these unfamiliar choices.

"Oh. Well, then, I guess I'll just have that and whatever tea you recommend." She said, closing the menu and laying it on the table. A waiter who was dressed more expensively than she'd ever been in her life came to take their order, then scurried off, leaving them alone again.

"Um, sir…If you don't mind me asking…what's your name?" Momo asked, feeling embarrassed that she hadn't asked him the first time he spoke to her.

"You, of all people, Momo, don't need to call me sir. I'm Inuki Sakyo. Feel free to call me Inuki, just as you once did, long ago." He said. His voice sounded sad. Then it occurred to Momo that she hadn't told him her name yet. An eerie feeling crept up her spine, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

"I haven't told you my name yet. And what do you mean by long ago? I've never seen you before this." She said, trying to stay calm. She was vaguely aware of the waiter returning with their order. He placed an elegant cup of tea and a steaming, sweet-smelling pastry in front of her before disappearing again. She watched as the waiter placed an empty glass and a bottle of some kind of alcohol in front of Sakyo before disappearing again. Sakyo was still utterly calm, but there was a sadder air about him now.

"If you recall, you once used to frequent a small pet shop in a certain area of Tokyo. You used to go there so you could visit a certain boy who worked there. That boy was me. You are Momo Hinamori, and I am Inuki Sakyo, your very first boyfriend, though it seems you had more besides me since then, as well you should. I could never forget you, Momo, for as long as I may live. It was because of you that I got this scar." He gestured at the fine line a scar tissue that ran over his right eye. "And it was because of me that you died."

For a long time Momo said nothing. She didn't think anything either. She was in shock. This was an incredibly rare and potentially disastrous occurrence. Shinigami who ventured into the living world almost _never_ encountered anyone they knew in life, if only because the majority of humans could not see them in their soul forms. Even if they went there in Gigai, there was usually such a lengthy time gap between when they died and when they became Soul Reapers that they were in no danger of being recognized. But now, somehow, this had happened. To _her_, who was already walking on thin ice already as far as Seireitei central command was concerned.

"Your blueberry tart is getting cold. It tastes much better when warm." Sakyo said, sounding worried. "It is important to me that you enjoy it. It's just the start. I owe you a great debt, Momo, which I intend to repay."

"But...but you can't! I'll have to erase your memory of seeing me here! This is terrible!" Momo almost sobbed. At first she'd just been too freaked out by the whole situation, but now she was starting to remember the pet shop. The boy who had always let her play with the animals, the one with the gentle, almost roguish smile (but always so mournful, it seemed) and the midnight blue eyes. It really was him, and with that memory came other memories, memories she would rather have remained buried in her subconscious forever.

"No, you won't, Momo. I am not a normal person. Your spirit devices would not have any effect on me. And, as such, you have no obligation to hide your true nature from me." He leaned forward, picked up a fork and handed it to her. "Eat. Drink the tea. Try to calm down. I am not going to hurt you, quite the opposite in fact. I admit that my running into you at the entrance was not a coincidence. I was informed of your whereabouts…but not by anyone in Seireitei. It was this same informant who told me of all the tragedies you've suffered lately. I am here to offer you a…a wide variety of things, Momo, that I think will definitely help you in this time of need. But first, there is someone I would like you to meet, the person who told me what became of you after you died. I think you will like her. She reminds me of you, in some ways. You face similar difficulties. Maybe you can help each other overcome them."

Momo didn't reply, just numbly placed a piece of the tart in her mouth. It tasted like tears, and Momo realized that for some reason, she was crying uncontrollably. Even stranger, they were not tears of sadness or fear. They were tears of relief.


End file.
